Paladin
by Musou Akumu
Summary: Tired of his treatment, Naruto runs off with a roaming swordsman after discovering several swords. He'll spend the next few years training with the mysterious person, growing in strength and intellegence.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Well, here's another story started. This one just hung around in my head for several days, never leaving, never stopping its constant flogging of my mind to type this out. Some of this will have some elements of Final Fantasy VII, which is my all time favorite game, and an element from Advent Children, which I haven't seen yet, but plan on if I get the chance. I doubt any actual characters from the game will make an apperance, maybe their names, but that might be it. This will be an AU, obviously. I'm probably going to have trouble keeping everyone in character with this, but I'll try. **

**I'm not totally giving up on my other story. It's just that the muse hasn't dropped by (She never calls, never writes).**

**I haven't decided if there will be any pairings for this. We'll just see as we go along. Again, I'll update when I have a new chapter up and running, whenever that will be.**

**Questions, comments, constuctive criticism, and observations are welcomed. Flames will be disregarded and feed to Cerberus.**

**Enjoy.**

"Speech" , _'Thoughts'

* * *

_

The morning sunlight shone brightly through the blinds and into a small bedroom. A small, uncomfortable looking bed sat right under the window, allowing a blonde haired boy to receive a face full of bright light. Groaning, the boy buried his head under a pillow, trying in vain to stay asleep. After five minutes, the child gave up and slowly sat up, yawning as he does so.

The child rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he made his way out of his small bedroom and into a small kitchen. Opening one of the cupboards, he pulled out a box of dry cereal and a bowl. He poured the contents into the bowl, then placed the box back into the cupboard. He shuffled his feet to the refrigerator, opened it, and pulled out a carton of milk. After he poured the milk and grabbed a spoon, the kid trudged to a small table, sat down with his cereal, and slowly ate it, crunching away contently. Once finished, he washed his bowl out and placed it back into the cupboard for later.

A soft rapping noise was emitted from his door. The child slowly staggered to the door, his blue eyes half closed. He opened it and was greeted by the sight of a man in his fifties with white hair and a white goatee. He wore ceremonial robes and a straw hat, with the kanji "fire" painted on the front of it. The man gave a warm smile as he looked at the child.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun." the man said, his smile never wavering.

"Ojii-san!" Uzumaki Naruto shouted. It was like a switch was flipped inside the boy. Seconds earlier, he was half asleep. Now, he looked like he was on the mother of all sugar highs. "Did you come to teach me an awesome jutsu?" asked Naruto, bouncing in place.

The man, Konoha's Sandaime Hokage, chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. "Not today, Naruto-kun. I've just came by to see how you were doing." replied the Hokage, patting Naruto on his head. "Mind if I come in?"

"No problem!" the boy said, practically dragging the village leader inside. Naruto then ran to the kitchen where he grabbed an empty glass and filled it with water. Once Naruto returned to the living room, the Sandaime was sitting on an old couch, his hat laying on a coffee table in front of him.

"Here, Ojii-san!" Naruto said, handing the glass over to Sarutobi. The village leader nodded in thanks and took a sip from it.

"I have a gift for you, Naruto-kun." the Sandaime said, smiling.

"What is it, Ojii-san?" Naruto shouted, jumping in place. "Is it an ultra cool sword? An unbeatable jutsu?" Naruto rambled on, guessing what his gift was.

"Calm down, Naruto-kun." the old man said, chuckling at the blonde's antics. "I've enrolled you into the academy. That means you'll be one step closer to becoming the Hokage."

Naruto stopped and blinked at the Sandaime for a few seconds, then let out a cry of happiness, jumping up and down more. He then launched himself at Sarutobi, latching on to his stomach.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Naruto repeated over and over.

"As much as I like to say and celebrate with you, Naruto-kun," Sarutobi said as he stood up, placing his Hokage hat on, "I'm afraid that the paperwork won't do itself."

For the briefest of moments, Naruto looked depressed. But as quick as it came on, it was over, replaced by a giant, fox like smile. "Okay, Ojii-san! We'll do that later!"

Naruto lead the village leader to the door, and after exchanging goodbyes, he closed the door. Naruto stood there for a few seconds until something dawned on him.

"Oi! I need to get some supplies for my classes!" he shouted. Turning on a heel, the blonde ran to his bedroom where he kept his money, given to him by the Hokage as allowance, as well as birthday gifts. After he got dresses in an orange jumpsuit, the only clothes he had besides his pajamas, Naruto ran out of his apartment towards a local shop.

* * *

Naruto glared angrily at an elderly man standing in the doorway to a shop. The man returned the glare, overflowing with hate and malice.

"Why the Hell won't you let me in, Ojii-teme!" the blonde shouted angrily.

"Like I would allow my establishment to be soiled by the likes of you, demon." the man growled.

"I see no reason for a little child to be called such a name." a calm, masculine voice spoke behind the blonde.

Naruto, seeing the surprised look on the shopkeeper's face, quickly whirled around. He found himself looking up, _wait _up, just to see the stranger's face. And even then, it was completely hidden from view by an extraordinarily large straw hat.

The eight foot tall man couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto's expression, a mix if shock and curiosity. The stranger's body was hidden with a jet black cloak with various images of dragons stitched in red. Out from the cloak came a large hand, which gently patted the child on his head.

"Ya-Ya-Yamamoto-sama!" the exasperated shopkeeper stuttered, then gave a short bow. "It is an honor to meet you!"

The giant waved the comment off with the same hand he patted Naruto. "I see no harm in letting a child walk into this place." Yamamoto said.

"But, but, but," the elderly man stammered, still in shock over seeing the giant.

"No 'buts'." Yamamoto growled. "Child, come."

The shopkeeper stepped aside to allow Yamamoto and Naruto inside. Naruto turned to the man and made a face at him, sticking his tongue out for effect. The man's face turned red with anger, but kept himself in control..

"Child," Yamamoto stopped and looked down at Naruto, "where are your parents?"

Naruto looked down, sadness evident on his face. "I don't have any."

The giant nodded. "I see."

The two separated to get what they want. Yamamoto decided to keep within earshot of Naruto, in case of any more trouble.

_'Those are some strange marks on his face._' the large man thought, grabbing a can of corn. _'And I can sense an odd aurora around him. Better keep an eye on him.'_

Naruto grabbed some pencils and a notebook, as well as a few other miscellaneous items. He then walked up to the cashier and laid his items out, with Yamamoto behind him, several cans and a canteen in his large hands.

"That'll be 30,000 ryu." the cashier said.

"Nani! That's more that what I have!" the blonde child shouted.

"Excuse me," Yamamoto said, catching the two's attention, "I believe your math is wrong. That should be _1,200 _ryo, not 30,000."

"No, the math's right." the man said, glaring hatefully at Naruto.

Yamamoto redid the math in his mind, still coming up with 1,200 ryo. "I can't see any justification of overcharging a child." he said calmly, if not with a bit of impatience.

"That," the clerk pointed a finger to Naruto, "is a spawn of Hell disguised as a child."

Yamamoto looked down at the child, hurt placed on Naruto's face. Yamamoto placed his groceries onto a nearby counter. Without warning, his massive hand launched out, gripping the clerk by the neck and lifting him three off the ground.

"I see no reason to justify your baseless accusation, nor your gross treatment of the child." Yamamoto's voice had a hard edge to it. "Let the poor child pay the correct price, then let him be." He then dropped the man back to the floor. The clerk scurried back behind the counter, taking the boy's 1,200 ryo for the items.

"Good." the giant said, paying for his items.

Both exited the store, with Naruto returning to his apartment and Yamamoto heading in the opposite direction.

"Oi, Kyojin-san!" Naruto called out to Yamamoto, who turned around and looked at him. Naruto then walked up to the man, looking straight up at the hidden face. "Why did you do that? You could have gotten in trouble!"

Yamamoto waved a hand lazily at Naruto. "I didn't want to see you get ripped off, Child."

"It's Naruto!" the blonde shouted, not liking being called a child.

"Apologies, Naruto-kun." Yamamoto chuckled at the boy. _'He sure does remind me of myself when I was his age.'_

A glint of light caught Naruto's eye. Turning his head, he saw several kunai flying towards him. He shut his eyes, throwing his arms up in a vain attempt at blocking the weapons. Naruto heard several clangs, like metal hitting metal. He opened one eye, looking at the scene in front of him, which caused both eyes to widen exponentially.

Yamamoto managed to shield the blonde with a _very _large zanbatou, or more accurately, a giant meat cleaver. The weapon was at least three feet in width and about six feet in length. A large, circular shape hole was carved out of the trailing edge of the blade, probably in an effort to reduce the weight. The handle to the weapon looked to be about two feet in length with leather wrappings around it. Naruto couldn't help but gape at the large weapon.

"Show yourself." Yamamoto commanded.

Out stepped a chuunin, judging by his age and vest. He looked to be in his mid-forties, his hitai-ate tied around his right arm. He had many scars on his face, signs of hard fought battles. His left arm held a shuriken, ready to throw.

"So, one of the legendary _Raikou no Sankenkaku (Three Swordsmen of Lightning) _decides to side with a monster." the unidentified chuunin sneered, lifting the shuriken in a throwing position.

'_What is with these people and this child?'_ Yamamoto thought, keeping his weapon in front of Naruto. _'They act like he destroyed half the village.'_

"Die, demon fox!" the man yelled as he ran at the two.

Before Yamamoto could react, the chuunin's head was sent flying off of his neck, blood gushing from the stump. The giant turned his head to an ANBU, still holding its katana.

"Thanks." said Yamamoto. "But why kill him?"

"Can't tell you." the ninja replied, sheathing its weapon. "Foreigners are usually not allowed weapons within the village, but I will overlook that transgression. Put your weapon away, give it to me, or leave."

"Eh, I'm on my way out anyways." replied the large man, strapping the oversized meat cleaver to his back. "Take care, Naruto-kun." Yamamoto then began walking towards the northern gate.

"Thanks Kyojin-san!" Naruto shouted, waving at the retreating figure, who replied with a lazy wave.

* * *

Naruto sat atop of the Hokage Monument, contemplating his life. After his near death experience, he began thinking about just leaving the village.

'_The only person who cares about me is Ojii-san.' _the blonde thought depressively.

Naruto stood up and stalked away from the monument, going where ever his feet took him. Before long, he was in a dense forest on a very narrow path. He then stopped and stomped his foot.

"I've had enough of this shit!" Naruto yelled into the sky, causing several birds to take flight. The ground began to crumble beneath his feet, and before he could react, he plunged a dozen feet below the surface. He was knocked unconscious upon landing.

* * *

It was night time when the blonde boy came too.

"Dammit! I can't see a thing!" he shouted, looking around. Seven dim, pulsating light blue lights caught his attention. Feeling compelled, Naruto began walking towards the lights. He rounded several bends, the light getting brighter and brighter. Before long, the blonde came to the source of the eerie light.

A large broadsword was embedded in a rock, surrounded by five other, slightly smaller swords. Two had serrated edges, two looked like switchblades, and one looked normal, except the handle was surrounded by the blade. Naruto walked up to the embedded broadsword and examined it.

The sword looked to be about seven feet long, the blade making up about six feet of it. The hand guard was diamond shaped with various pivot points inside of it. A seam ran along the flat of the blade, from top all the way to the base. Without thought, Naruto grabbed the handle and pulled the weapon free surprisingly easy. It wasn't light, but it was heavy enough where the boy had to set it down after a few seconds. Leaving the sword where he laid it, Naruto examined the second one.

This sword, to the blonde's surprise, was hollowed out, even the handle. The entire weapon was six feet in length and looked like a it could fix on the broadsword. Grabbing the handle, the blonde also pulled it out. Because of it was hollowed out, it was lighter for the blonde to wield it without too much trouble, but would need to build muscle to use it effectively. He then turned his attention to the serrated blades.

The serrated weapons had square notched cut out of them, giving them a bit of a menacing look. Their overall length was a bit longer than the hollowed sword. They looked fairly heavy to the blonde and decided not to try to pull them out and risk slicing himself open.

The switchblades were far shorter and easier for the blonde to pull out. A pivot point at the base of the blade allowed the handle to flip a full one-eighty and rest behind the weapon. He figured he could use these weapons until he could get the strength need to wield all of the swords.

'_Wait, when did I think I wanted to take all of the swords?'_ the blonde thought, surprised at himself. _'Wonder who put them here?'_

"I see you found the _Ichijiken (First Blade)_, Naruto-kun." came a vaguely familiar voice. Naruto spun around and searched for the speaker.

Yamamoto stood before the blonde boy, a torch blazing away. Even with the light, Naruto couldn't see his face, despite the face the flame was right next to it.

"You know what these weapons are?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. I know all about them." replied Yamamoto. "I've been searching for these for a long time."

"Wait, how did you find me?" Naruto asked.

"I heard you shouting about not seeing a damn thing." deadpanned the giant.

"So, what are these exactly?" the blonde asked, waving his hand over towards the swords.

"Those swords can be combined to form a bigger, more powerful weapon, Naruto-kun." Yamamoto said, walking over towards the embedded serrated blades.

"These," he said, placing his free hand on one of the handles, "are the _Gizagizaken (Serrated Blade)_." Yamamoto then tried to pull it out, failing in the attempt.

'_What the Hell?' _the giant man thought, straining to free the weapon. His eyes landed on the boy, one of the switchblades in his hands. _'Holy Hell, are these weapons sentient?'_

"What's wrong, Kyojin-san?" Naruto asked, cocking his head to one side.

"Did you pull that one out by yourself?" Yamamoto asked, pointing at the sword in Naruto's hand. He nodded.

"I'll be damned," Yamamoto said, walking over to Naruto. Kneeling down, the giant looked directly into the blonde's eyes, chuckling slightly. "I believe you might have been chosen to wield the _Ichijiken_."

"Nani!" the boy shouted, eyes wide. "You mean these swords are mine!"

"Yes, they are yours." Yamamoto replied. "Though, you may need some time to bulk up on muscles to be able to hold the completed weapon."

"Teach me!" Naruto demanded, catching the normally stoic man off-guard.

"Why?" Yamamoto asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"Nobody here cares about me." Naruto said, looking down. "They kicked me out of the orphanage after my fifth birthday. Ojii-san managed to get an apartment for me, but the landlord keeps upping my rent and occasionally shuts off my water and lights."

"I don't know," the man said, "I train my student to the brink of exhaustion and further, and they are usually too tired the next day to handle a senbon needle."

"As long as I grow stronger, I don't care what you do!" Naruto yelled.

After a few minutes of thought, Yamamoto sighed. "Very well, Naruto-kun. I'll train you."

Naruto began jumping up and down celebrating, only to stop when Yamamoto grabbed the arm holding the switchblade.

"First, let's seal these swords in scrolls before you hurt yourself."

* * *

Later that night, Yamamoto and Naruto quietly left Konoha, the _Ichijiken _sealed inside of scrolls. Naruto turned his head to the shrinking village gates, one thought racing through his mind.

'_I'll show you all wrong, that I am more than a monster.'_


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, here's chapter two. This one went through a rewrite or two before I was happy with it. I'm not going to bore you with anything else, so I'll just get to the disclaimer and let y'all read on.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Final Fantasy VII.**

* * *

"So, when are you going to teach me how to use the _Ichijiken_, Kyojin-sensei?" Naruto asked for what was the fifth time, slowly eroding Yamamoto's patience.

"When you have the strength to hold it and know some kenjutsu, Naruto-kun." the giant replied for the fifth time, agitation dripping from his voice.

"So, how does the _Ichijiken _work?" the child asked.

"Well, it's somewhat complicated." Yamamoto began. "First, you must engage the Base Blade's battle mode."

"Battle mode?" Naruto interrupted, cocking his head to one side.

"Yes, Battle mode. That starts the assembly processes." The giant took a deep breath. "After that, you simply attach the Impact Blade, the hollowed out sword, to the front and it automatically locks into place."

"How do you activate the Battle mode?" Naruto asked.

"Just channel a little chakra to the sword." replied Yamamoto.

"Chakra? What is that?" questioned the blonde, confusion evident on his face.

Yamamoto stopped dead in his tracks, which caused Naruto to accidentally walk into him. Yamamoto looked down at Naruto, who was a bit unnerved by the fact he still hasn't seen his new sensei's face at all.

"Chakra is the combination of physical and spiritual energy," replied the tall man after he started walking, "or something like that, I can't remember exactly."

Naruto glared at the man. "What do you mean you can't remember? What kind of ninja are you?"

The giant ignored the boy's interruptions. "You build chakra up, then you control chakra by a series of hang seals. Each technique requires the use of such seals, but if one has proficient enough control chakra, you don't really need to do it at all, or so I heard. You understand?"

"Yatta!" the blonde replied enthusiastically.

"Good. Now, there are twelve hand seals that are used to control chakra. They are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, hare, dragon, Serpent, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Bird, Dog, and Boar." As Yamamoto named the seals, he made them to show the Uzumaki. "You got it?"

"Yes! Yes!" the blonde nodded.

"Now, since you're so young, you need to learn chakra control so you don't waste any of it, since you can't reconvert it." Yamamoto took a quick gulp from his canteen, then continued. "As for the _Ichijiken_, after to attached the Impact Blade to the Base Blade, you then add the two Serrated Blades to both sides of the Base Blade, behind the Impact Blade. Then add the Switchbladesto both sides of the Base Blade, and you're done!"

Naruto nodded, showing he understands. "So, when will you teach me how to use it?"

The giant man face faulted. "I told you when you have the physical strength to wield it!" he bellowed, unlike his stoic nature, which scared the child.

"Y-y-y-yes, Kyojin-sensei." the blonde stuttered.

After a few minutes, Yamamoto recomposed himself. "What do you know about nature manipulation?" Naruto looked at his sensei like he grew another head. "Right. Okay, listen up." He took another drink from his canteen. "There are seven different natures of chakra: Wind, Fire, Earth, Water, Lightning, Wood, and Ice. The first five any one can use, but Wood and Ice are _kekkei genkai (bloodline limit)_, meaning only those born to such users are capable to using them. You follow?"

"Err, no." the child replied, scratching the back of his head.

"Unless your father or mother uses Wood or Ice techniques, you can't use them. Savvy?"

"I see! Unless my father's the Shodai Hokage, I can't use his Mokuton!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Good. Now, the other five, Wind, Water, Earth, Fire, and Lightning, can be used by any one. But those with a certain elemental affinity will master an element quicker than others and be more proficient. For example, I have an affinity for Lightning, so Lightning jutsus are easier for me to control than, say, Water. Got it?"

"Ya! Ya!" the Uzumaki replied. "So, what affinity do I have?"

"Calm down, I'm getting there." Yamamoto pulled two pieces of paper from inside his cloak, handing one of them to Naruto. "This paper reacts to the nature of your chakra. Depending on how it reacts, you have that affinity. Just channel a little bit of chakra into the paper and watch."

Yamamoto channeled a little of his chakra into the paper. Nearly instantly, the paper crumbled, little sparks flying off of it. "See, that shows that I have Lightning-natured chakra. Now, you do it."

Naruto looked up at his teacher, confusion on his face. "Uh, how do I channel chakra?" he asked sheepishly.

Yamamoto nearly face faulted after hearing his student's question. "They didn't teach you that in the academy?"

Naruto looked down at his feet. "I was supposed to enter it sometime this year." he replied sullenly.

The giant sighed. _'Too late to turn back now.' _he thought. "Okay, here's how you do it."

* * *

The Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi, sighed as he signed yet another piece of paperwork, looking over at the ever growing stack in annoyance. He began to long for the days he spent after handing the duties over to the Yondaime Hokage, days free of paperwork and stress. After the passing of the Fourth, Sarutobi was forced to take over the duties. A part of him regretted his decision, but he felt he didn't have a choice, seeing as there were no other qualified shinobis to take over.

A pop interrupted the Third's thoughts. Looking up, Sarutobi saw an ANBU in a cat mask looking at him. Even though he couldn't see its face, he could tell it was nervous.

"Speak." the Hokage commanded.

"Hokage-sama, it appears the jinchuuriki has disappeared." the ninja replied in a feminine voice, revealing her gender.

The village elder stood up quickly, his chair skidding across the floor. "What? How?"

"It appears he left on his own. There was no sign of forced entry into his apartment. His wallet is missing. One person said he last saw him talking with Yamamoto." she answered.

The Sandaime's eyes grew wider. "Yamamoto of the _Sankenkaku_! He was here in the village?"

"Yes, it appeared so." the ANBU replied. "One of our shinobis was involved in an incident between Naruto and a chuunin."

The Hokage nodded, having heard about it the night before. "Have our forces keep an eye out for Naruto-kun and Yamamoto. They are not to engage any of them. Have them determine if Naruto-kun left willingly or was kidnapped."

The ninja before him nodded. "As you wish, Hokage-sama." And with a cloud of smoke, she disappeared.

'_I hope you're okay, Naruto-kun.' _the Hokage thought as he continued with his paperwork.

* * *

"What does it mean when the paper's cut in half like that?" Naruto asked, having learned how to channel chakra.

"Means you have an affinity for wind." replied Yamamoto. "You're a bit of a rarity here in Fire Country, Naruto-kun. Not many people here have that type of affinity."

"You mean I'm one of a kind?" Naruto asked. "I'm the only one here that can use wind?"

"First, you _are_ one of a kind," the giant replied. "and second, no, there are others in Fire that can use wind, just not that many."

The pair continued walking, silence dominating the atmosphere around them. It wasn't until they heard faint cries and sounds of combat that the two spoke.

"Naruto, listen up." Yamamoto said as he crouched down. "This will be in a completely different ballpark for you, so you're going to watch. If necessary, run. More likely than not, the battle won't be too hard for me. Just be careful and stay out of the fight. Savvy?" Naruto could only nod. "All right, let's go, but keep quiet."

Yamamoto began creeping his way to the fight, his charge following closely behind, being as quiet as he could. They made their way to a clearing where the fighting was taking place. The giant man quietly parted the bushes to look at the scene before him.

Various carts were overturned, with some aflame. Blood pooled on the ground where corpses rested, all with mortal injuries to their head or chest. What few women there were showed signs of rape, their clothes torn to rags. Various items were strewn about. About a hundred yards ahead of them, five women in various stages of undress, and a young girl, about seven years in age, were bound and sat up against several trees. In front of them were three bandits, each with a katana in their hands. One by one, the women were decapitated, to the joyous cries of the three.

"Stay here." Yamamoto ordered Naruto, whose face was devoid of color due to the vision before him. The giant quietly slipped away, moving around to the bandits' sides.

* * *

Young Tsuchi Kin quivered before the three armed me before her, fear etched on her face and in her eyes. She had witnessed the murders of everyone in the convoy at the hands of these men. Blood was splattered across her white, floral shirt, baby blue skirt, and black hair.

"What are you doing?" the young girl cried out, tears streaming down her face. The bandits, however, ignored her.

"How much do you thing she will fetch us?" one of them asked, rubbing a scar on his left cheek in thought.

"She's too young." stated another, this one shorter than the scarred one.

"Like that has turned away clients!" bellowed the third one, the tallest of the three. He reached down and roughly grabbed the seven year old's chin, forcing her to look into the thug's malevolent face. He looked her over, then smirked. "She should fetch us plenty of ryu." he stated.

"Can I try her out first?" asked the scarred thief, a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

"After all of that, you still wanna go?" asked the short one, disbelief on his face. The scarred one just smiled sheepishly.

"Knock yourself out." the taller man said, turning around. "I'm gonna collect whatever's valuable."

As the scarred man approached Kin, he could feel his hairs start standing on end. "We're going to have _so _much fun." he sneered.

A bright flash and a loud thunderclap later, the scarred man's burnt corpse laid on its back. Standing in his place was Yamamoto, a gantlet hand sticking out of his cloak.

"**Raikougi no Jutsu (Thunder Justice Technique)**_" _whispered the giant man, turning his attention to the remaining two. "You garbage have signed you own death certificates."

The smaller man staggered back, demoralized by his partner's sudden demise, while the leader simply smirked. "It's two against one. The odds are against you." The leader produced his katana, with the smaller man doing the same, still a bit unnerved.

'_Not enough space to use _that _weapon,' _Yamamoto thought, bringing his left hand out of his cloak and towards his mouth, _'so the other one it is.'_

"You shouldn't bring a plastic knife to a sword fight." stated the giant. He pulled out a scroll and unrolled it in the blink of an eye. He then bit down on his thumb. "Your lives have been forfeited! Prepare to meet Rage and Agony!"

A cloud of smoke erupted in Yamamoto's hands. Slowly, the smoke dissipated to reveal a four foot long katana in his left hand. The blade had a red tint to it, which darkened when the sun strikes it at just the right angle. The hilt of the weapon had a metallic skull carved on it. The handle was ivory white with brown leather wrapping around it. In his right hand was a wakizashi in a similar design.

"Now, it begins." whispered Yamamoto.

In a blur of black, the giant launched himself at the shorter man, Rage, the katana, ready to strike. Quickly, the man brought his katana up to defend. The two swords made contact with such force that it knocked the bandit back several feet. If the man hadn't been forced back, he would have been cut in half by the other blade, Agony.

The leader jumped in, going for an overhead cut. Yamamoto brought Rage up to block, swinging the shorter one to cut his opponent open. The leader leapt back, getting some distance between the two.

Once the other man got up, the bandits teamed together, causing Yamamoto to use both swords to defend himself. Yamamoto would strike out when he saw an opening, but for the most part, kept blocking the attacks, hoping to wear his opponents down. Unfortunately, it was he that was wearing down.

Unknown to the three combatants, Naruto had snuck around and dragged a sobbing Kin behind a tree, trying his best to calm her down.

"Don't worry, Kyojin-sensei will make mincemeat out of them!" Naruto proclaimed a little too loudly, catching the attention of the three combatants.

"Where the Hell is the girl?" the leader shouted, ducking under a horizontal cut to his head. He looked towards where they left Kin.

"Dammit, Naruto!" growled Yamamoto. "I told you to stay put, dammit!"

Naruto popped up from behind a bush, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, Kyojin-sensei." Realizing his mistake, Naruto ducked back down.

'_He really is as dumb as he looks.' _the giant thought. The sound of metal on metal knocked him out of his thoughts. Looking down, he saw the smaller man's katana pushed against his abdomen. _'Glad I got the armor.'_ he thought. In a fluid motion, he cleaved the man from navel to skull with the katana, killing him instantly. Turning around, the giant spotted the leader sprinting towards Naruto's hiding spot.

"You're mine, brat!" the bandit shouted, ready to thrust his weapon forward.

Yamamoto threw his katana at the remaining criminal with such force that the man was hurled into a tree, pinned there by the blade. The man's eyes were wide with shock. His cry of pain had became gurgling, since Rage had impaled the right lung. Before he could do anything else, Yamamoto easily sliced the bandit's head off with Agony.

Naruto popped his head up from the bush and looked at his teacher, his eyes wide with shock at how his teacher defeated the remaining two. Yamamoto, however, was hunched over, panting hard, the wakizashi held loosely in his grasp. After taking a few quick breaths, he retrieved the katana, letting the thug's body drop to the ground.

'_Kami, I'm out of shape.' _he thought. He walked back to where the scroll that held the two swords laid. Pulling out some ink and a brush, Yamamoto began sealing the swords back into the scrolls. He then picked it up, closed it, and placed it into his cloak.

Naruto had walked out to his sensei, pulling Kin by her hand. "Oi, Kyojin-sensei, you okay?" he asked.

"I told you to stay where you were, didn't I?" Yamamoto growled.

Naruto raised his hands in defense. "I didn't want you to worry about her! Besides, no one was looking when I did help her!"

Yamamoto sighed. "Don't do it again." The tone of his voice promised punishment if Naruto disobeyed again.

"Y-y-yes, Kyojin-sensei." answered the blonde.

Yamamoto looked over at the girl. "Name?"

"Tsuchi Kin." she replied, somewhat fearful of the giant man.

"Which one of these people are your parents?" the giant asked.

"None, I was orphaned after I was born." she replied, tears threatening to fall from her face again. "I snuck onto one of the carts, hoping to get away from the orphanage."

"I see." said Yamamoto. "Naruto, watch the girl for a moment."

Naruto nodded, watching as the giant man began using an Doton jutsu to create a mass grave for the victims, whispering a prayer for them. He then went and burned the outlaws' bodies, leaving nothing but ashes behind, which were subsequently blown away by the wind.

* * *

Later that night, both Naruto and Yamamoto sat around a campfire as Kin slept in a makeshift sleeping bag. Naruto poked at the fire with a stick out of boredom. He looked over to his sensei, wonder if he'll ever see his face. A thought suddenly popped into his head.

"Oi, sensei?" Naruto called out, catching the giant man's attention. "How about letting Kin-chan train with me?"

"I don't know, Naruto," Yamamoto said, "after what she went through, I wouldn't be surprise if she didn't want anything to do with weaponry for the rest of her life."

"She could use the training to defend herself against those kinds people." came the blonde's reply.

'_He has a point,' _Yamamoto thought. '_Plus,_ _he could use someone to work with and keep him company.' _"We'll ask her when she gets up, Naruto-kun."

"Okay." the blonde replied, stifling a yawn. "I guess I should get some sleep then."

Yamamoto nodded and watched as his student crawled into his sleeping bag and fell into a deep slumber.

_'Kid nearly got himself killed, and he acted like it was nothing.'_ the giant thought after several minutes. _'I got to admit, though, he has the potential to become a fine ninja.' _Yamamoto shifted his hat lower on his head, blocking the light out from his eyes, and too fell into a light sleep.

* * *

**End of Chapter 2.**


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